Karmalink

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Karmalink

Released Jul 15, 2022

1h 42m

Sci-Fi

Drama

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Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In near-future Phnom Penh, the rich and privileged wallow in nanotech, the tight-knit community of Tralop Bek is threatened with forced eviction, and 13-year-old Leng Heng has vivid dreams of his past lives. He and his friends are convinced they are meant to find a Buddhist statue to save their homes and seek out help from neighborhood scavenger, Srey Leak. Together they follow clues across town and into the past. As Leng Heng's dreams converge on the present, his very sense of identity begins to unravel. As it becomes clear that the stakes are higher than they imagined, the two friends must decide how far they are willing to go to find their treasure and the truth.

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Bilge Ebiri

Spirituality & Health

Karmalink leaves us with more questions than answers, but the disorientation it creates is a sweet, thoughtful one.

Sep 2, 2022

Full Review

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

the concepts of reincarnation and karma are given new expression in an era when dreams can be electronically visualised, memories of past lives recorded, and consciousness digitally transferred.

Aug 2, 2022

Full Review

Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

“Karmalink” announces the arrival of an exciting filmmaker who creates a vision that operates well outside of the check-all-the-boxes studio ideology.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 13, 2022

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Phil Guie

Film-Forward.com

Karmalink’s strongest assets are the visuals and chemistry between the two adventurous kids... The main plot that emerges, however, threatens to become a little too esoteric for its own good.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 25, 2022

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Morris Yang

In Review Online

[Karmalink] gallivants between periods and places, yet feels plodding all the same, due in large part to its thinly-sketched characters and taciturn performances.

Jul 26, 2022

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Carey-Ann Pawsey

Orca Sound

Ying and Yang. Salt and pepper. Black and white. Sometimes opposites work great together. Karmalink is a film that features the seemingly opposing thoughts of science fiction and religion operating side by side.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 20, 2022

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Torin F

KARMALINK is a unique and engaging Buddhist science fiction film from Cambodia. Centered on a group of enterprising kids, the film provides an immersive street-level tour of a lightly futuristic Phnom Penh, where Buddhist understandings of consciousness intermix with cyberpunk-flavored VR and memory enhancement. It's all very cool and compelling, even if the film's plot doesn't ever fully cohere beyond a mashup of science-informed "enlightenment" seeking.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

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Michael R

I wholeheartedly recommend this film, especially for Americans. This is a wild ride into the heart of Cambodian culture, beliefs and mysticism, as it presents in the life of children in Phnom Penh. Visionary dreams send a group of kids on a treasure hunt, for an ancient Buddha statue, against the backdrop of trauma inflicted on the shared national memory by American bombing campaigns 50 years earlier and a rapidly modernizing and disruptive digital era. In addition to the sources listed here on Rotten Tomatoes, it's also available on Netflix, Roku and Plex.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/21/23

Full Review

larry y

Buddhist science fiction from Cambodia. Unique, intriguing, and a pleasure. Fascinating blend of science and reincarnation, with an intriguing storyline and genuinely excellent characters. I really quite love this movie and intend to recommend it widely.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A really satisfying mix of mind-bending sci-fi (think Minority Report, Annihilation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and a mystery-adventure story with stellar performances from the Cambodian child actor leads (think Goonies, Super 8). I'm excited to see whatever this filmmaker produces next.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Jake Wachtel

Director

Srey Leak Chhith

Srey Leak

Leng Heng Prak

Leng Heng

Sahajak Boonthanakit

Dr. Vattanak Sovann

Cindy Sirinya Bishop

Dr. Sophia

Rous Mony

Actor

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Synopsis

In near-future Phnom Penh, the rich and privileged wallow in nanotech, the tight-knit community of Tralop Bek is threatened with forced eviction, and 13-year-old Leng Heng has vivid dreams of his past lives. He and his friends are convinced they are meant to find a Buddhist statue to save their homes and seek out help from neighborhood scavenger, Srey Leak. Together they follow clues across town and into the past. As Leng Heng's dreams converge on the present, his very sense of identity begins to unravel. As it becomes clear that the stakes are higher than they imagined, the two friends must decide how far they are willing to go to find their treasure and the truth.

Director: Jake Wachtel
Producer: Valerie Steinberg, Jake Wachtel
Screenwriter: Jake Wachtel, Christopher Larsen
Distributor: Good Deed Entertainment
Production Co: Valerie Steinberg Productions
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: Khmer
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 15, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 1h 42m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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